Saturday, April 7, 2012

Nine Catholic devotees in the Philippines marked Good Friday by reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, with real nails driven through their hands and feet as villagers dressed as Roman centurions and thousands of others looked on.

The devotees say they endure the pain to give thanks, atone for their sins and pray during Holy Week. “I feel good because my suffering has ended,” Ruben Enaje, a 51-year-old sign painter, told the Associated Press. Enaje went through his 26th crucifixion this year after recently surviving a fall from a building.

The annual event, held this year in the northern province of Pampanga, is opposed by Catholic Church leaders in the Philippines and around the world.